Azrael (LD Stories)
Azrael is an animal character from the original comics and cartoon show. His Wiki page is located here. He is also a character in The Light and Dark Series. Background Information As with his mainstream counterpart in Peyo's comics and the Hanna-Barbera cartoon show, Azrael is a dastardly, chase-happy cat that many argue is genuinely rotten at heart. Relationship with Gargamel It was revealed in "Gargamel's Time Trip" that Azrael was a stray kitten who took a liking to Gargamel when he was a young student at the Wizard's School. The two became a pair as Gargamel grew to love Azrael; he was the only one who truly liked him and eagerly awaited for him after school each day. On one fateful day, it was Azrael who captured a young Brainy Smurf and showed it to Gargamel, who then discovered they could be used in the gold-making formula. After being foiled by Papa Smurf, Gargamel tried to prove their existence to the Dean of Wizards, but when Azrael could not capture another Smurf for them, it resulted in him flunking out of school. Hovel Life Although Gargamel continually badgers his cat about being a "failure furball" or calling him a "stupid/rotten/miserable" cat, they have a mutually dysfunctional companionship. Over the years as they have aged, Azrael mirrors his master's bitterness, loneliness, and happiness and has developed a hatred for the Smurfs from his direct influence. Despite their quarreling and struggle for power between one another, Gargamel has come to realize that he is nothing without his beloved cat. Whenever Azrael is gone for a long period of time, he worries about his safety, searches for him, and is overjoyed by his return (but still scolds him for leaving in the first place out of habit). Azrael remains with Gargamel because - in the words of Papa Smurf - they have a remarkably unique bond and are better together than apart. Relationship with Scruple When Scruple was first introduced in "The Enchanted Quill," Azrael took a strong disliking to him because of his disregard of their hatred for the Smurfs, and for constantly questioning Gargamel's sanity, intelligence, or wizardry skills. Over time, however, Scruple was steadily influenced by Gargamel to hate them as well, which allowed him and Azrael to officially start bonding. Generally, Scruple feeds and bathes him or they are sent out of the hovel together, so some may call them "fair companions." Relationship with Sir Johan In Story One when the villainous and heroic trios first meet, Azrael defends his master by attacking Johan. By the end, in which Johan was turned evil by the dark spell cast by Gargamel, their initial opposition dwindled. By the start of Season 2 in "Woeful Smurfs," Azrael has already grown close to the knight, which is evident by him being at his feet while they are eating together. More coming later! Appearance Azrael is an orange shorthaired tabby cat with a white muzzle, large black nose, three long whiskers, and a white underbelly. His yellowing fangs and black claws are kept razor sharp, and his eyes are white with standard black pupils. A small chunk of his right ear is missing and his form is usually underweight and on the ragged side. Voice Actor(s) He was originally voiced by Don Messick in the cartoon show. After his death, he would best be voiced by Frank Welker, who played his role in the 2011 Smurfs film and its 2013 sequel, as well as the mini-movies, The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol and The Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow. Trivia *The name "Azrael" is a religious term for an Angel of Death in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Sikhism faiths. In Hebrew, the literal translation is "Whom God Helps," which seems to fit the idea that Gargamel depends on his cat for survival and love. *In the original comics, Azrael was female. The gender was changed to male by suggestion of HB Studios, and then became the final decision for all media afterwards. *Likewise, he is an orange tabby cat in the comics, but commonly a reddish-brown in the cartoon show. In Numbuh 404's accounts, Azrael's design takes after his comic book counterpart with the added specification as a Domestic Shorthaired cat from the 2011 film. *Paul Winchell and Don Messick's dynamic duo as Gargamel and Azrael coincidentally parallels the relationship between the "Wacky Races" pair, Muttley and Dastardly. Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Pets and animal companions Category:Animal characters Category:Villains Category:Residents of Gargamel Category:Numbuh 404's Articles Category:Cats Category:Character pages without images Category:LD Stories characters Category:LD Season 1 characters Category:LD Season 2 characters